Armed robbery at Bay West Mall

The Baywest Mall was hit by five robbers wearing balaclavas just after 9 am yesterday morning.

The men, one of whom was armed, accessed the offices of Interpark, the company which manages the mall’s parking. The office is located on the extremities of the mall, near the delivery entrance.

Four office staff were tied up and instructed to open the drop-safe. As the keys for the drop-safe are not kept on the premises, the staff were ordered to contact the head of the security team to bring them the key.

The robbers made off with a small amount of money. Although the staff were treated for shock following the incident, there were no serious injuries.

“The Baywest Operations and Security team immediately shared the details of the perpetrators with SAPS, including the registration and make of the getaway vehicle, while eye witnesses (one staff member and one member of the public) corroborated the information,” said Baywest Mall General Manager Sonja de Necker.

“By 11am police informed us that they had identified what they believed was the getaway vehicle, in New Brighton.

We would like to commend the Baywest management and security team and the SAPS for the fast and professional manner in which this incident was handled, avoiding panic and immediately passing on relevant details to the authorities,” added de Necker.